Girona pulled off a massive upset in La Liga, beating Barcelona 2-1 at Montilivi on Monday night. Lamine Yamal missed a penalty, and Hansi Flick’s team was left fuming over a late, controversial goal. The Catalans dropped key points in the title race, right in the middle of a tug-of-war with their bitter rivals, Real Madrid.

Early on, Yamal found himself clean through on goal against Paulo Gazzaniga, but his shot went straight at the ex-Tottenham keeper. Before that, Raphinha had already blown a good chance, dragging his effort wide.

Barca kept pushing for the opener, but then Girona’s Vladyslav Vanat broke free, forcing a sharp stop from Garcia – kind of a warning shot. Vanat really should’ve scored halfway through the first half when Bryan Gil whipped a wicked cross in from the left, but the Ukrainian striker completely missed it.

Just before half-time, Raphinha rattled the post, and then Dani Olmo got brought down by Daley Blind in the box. Yamal stepped up for the penalty, but he smashed it off the post. The nerves were showing.

After an hour, Barca finally broke through. Pau Cubarsi rose to meet Kounde’s cross and planted an incredible header into the top corner for his first league goal for the club. But the lead didn’t last long. Within a minute, Thomas Lemar poked in an equaliser after Cubarsi failed to clear his lines.

From there, Girona looked like a different team. Garcia had to bail Barcelona out a couple of times, but with just minutes left, Fran Beltran finally beat him. The goal went to VAR, and it looked like it’d be chalked off for a foul on Kounde, but the ref let it stand. The Barca bench lost it.

Barca thought they had a late equaliser, but Lewandowski was just offside. Girona’s shock win really shakes up the title race.

StadiumNest player ratings for Barca at Montilivi:

Goalkeeper & Defence

Joan Garcia (7/10):

Left stranded by Cubarsi’s mess-up. Pulled off a great save to deny Vernat; even though the flag went up, he couldn’t have known. Conceded to Beltran, but honestly, there was a foul in the build-up.

Jules Kounde (7/10):

Delivered a gorgeous assist for Cubarsi’s goal. Kept Gil quiet and looked like Barca’s best defender. Got fouled before Beltran’s goal, but it didn’t matter in the end.

Pau Cubarsi (6/10):

Bullet header to open the scoring, but then let himself down with a bad clearance right after, leading to Lemar’s equaliser.

Eric Garcia (5/10):

He looked just as shaky as he did when Atletico hammered them earlier in the week. Picked up a booking for a late tackle on Vitor Reis. Subbed off in the second half, visibly upset, he knew it wasn’t his night.

Gerard Martin (6/10):

Struggled a bit defensively down his side. Tried to get involved but was eventually replaced by Balde.

Midfield

Fermin Lopez (6/10):

Always eager to drive forward and take a shot, but he just couldn’t get into the game as much as he wanted.

Frenkie de Jong (6/10):

Linked defence and attack well. He looked better on the ball than without it, which is pretty normal for him.

Dani Olmo (7/10):

Earned the penalty with some quick feet. He looked great whenever he got on the ball, but after he went off, Barca completely lost their rhythm.

Attack

Lamine Yamal (5/10):

Huge miss one-on-one; it looked like he had too much time to think. Hit the post with a poor penalty. Always wants the ball, but this game just got away from him.

Ferran Torres (6/10):

Barely involved. Got subbed off. He’s no Lewandowski up front, that’s for sure.

Raphinha (7/10):

Missed a couple of good chances in the first half, but he wasn’t the only culprit. Hit the post just before the break. Came off for Bardghji. Frustrating night – some great runs, but nothing to show for it.

Barcelona are hunting for three points on Monday as they face local rivals Girona. For the Catalans, it’s a game they absolutely have to win.

Coach Hansi Flick clearly wasn’t happy with what he saw in Barça’s 4-0 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey. He’s looking for a real response this time. Before the Girona match, Flick spoke to the press about the team’s mood and what he expects.

He started by talking about Girona. “We’re expecting an organised side,” Flick said. “They’re well set up; they play bravely. We have to show more sharpness and energy than we did last time.”

Reporters asked about the mood in the Barça dressing room after that heavy defeat. Flick admitted it stung but said the team learned from it. “The most important thing today is that training went well. The energy was good, the guys were sharp, and you could see the confidence. We even found the net.”

He didn’t gloss over the loss. “Thursday’s match was a lesson for us. We lost, but now it’s about moving forward. We have to accept it and focus on Girona.”

Flick stressed the need for a strong comeback. “Staying focused is key. We have enough quality to beat anyone, but we need to actually show up on the pitch, unlike those first 45 minutes against Atleti.”

He even called the Atletico match a Champions League-level battle. “Atlético was ready for it. In the first half, we just weren’t competitive enough, especially in the duels. They were sharper, more dynamic.”

But Flick saw something to build on. “I liked what I saw at training today. Now we need to bring that onto the pitch tomorrow. The season’s still long. If we stick together and give 100%, anything’s possible.”

He added, “We have great quality. Sometimes you lose, but what matters is how you react.”

Questions came up about Barcelona’s complaint to the RFEF over poor refereeing, which has hit both the men’s and women’s teams. Flick shrugged it off. “My job is the team. That’s all I focus on, our mentality and our style of play. I can’t worry about the rest. Sure, things aren’t always great, but that’s not my concern.”

He was honest about the Atletico loss. “After the match, I spoke to the referee about the offside goal. We had a good conversation, but that’s between us. Refereeing wasn’t the reason we lost. We need to fix what’s in our hands.”

Flick stayed clear on his refereeing stance. “I can’t control everything. We’re all human; mistakes happen. The important thing is to keep improving players, coaches, referees, and everyone. This is football, and everyone should try to stay neutral. Mistakes will come, but we just keep working.”

On the squad, Flick confirmed Marcus Rashford will miss the Girona game. “He’s out for tomorrow. He’s improving, but we’re taking it step by step.”

He also talked about Raphinha, expected to play after returning to full training. “We miss him when he’s not there. You see in training, he lifts the team’s energy and pace. I’ve said it before: for me, he was the best player in the world last season.”

Finally, Flick updated on Pedri and Gavi. “Pedri should be ready. With Gavi, we have to be careful. What I’ve seen in training is impressive. He’s probably not available in February, but I think he’ll be fit for March.”